As we've reported, critics say Perry overstepped his authority by carrying out a threat to veto funding for a public corruption office. He had called on Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg to step down after a drunken-driving charge, and said he would deny funding from the public corruption office. And that's exactly what he did when she refused to resign.

Perry has been defiant all along, and reiterated his innocence in front of the courthouse Tuesday.

"I'm here today because I believe in the rule of law," he said to a crowd of supporters. He added that what he did was "not only legal, but right."

"I'm going to fight this injustice with every fiber of my being," he said. "And we will prevail."